Woods suddenly withdraws, citing neck injury

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Dressed in his Sunday red shirt, Tiger Woods bowed his head and sat in silence in front of his locker.

He was supposed to be on the ninth hole at The Players Championship. In another stunning twist for someone whose life used to be so predictable, Woods withdrew suddenly with neck pain that he fears might be a bulging disk.

Woods was so frustrated that he slammed his golf shoe to the floor while taking questions from three reporters.

“I’ve been playing through it,” Woods said of pain he first felt before the Masters. “I can’t play through it anymore.”

Woods said he did not know what caused the injury, only that “playing doesn’t help it.” He took 10 questions before going into a physical therapy trailer for 37 minutes and leaving the TPC Sawgrass.

This is Woods’ first withdrawal from a tournament since the Nissan Open at Riviera in 2006.